Chinese New Year celebrations in Nelson

Like Christmas and Thanksgiving all rolled into one, New Year is the biggest celebration on the Chinese calendar, and on February 15 Nelsonians who are quick off the mark will have the opportunity to join in.

The New Zealand Chinese Association Nelson Branch is organising the event, and spokesperson, Harriet Zhou says New Year is a very big event for Chinese people at home or living elsewhere in the world.

“”It’s the big day for families to get together and wish each other good luck for the coming year,” she says. “Food plays a big part in the celebrations, with pork dumplings the main traditional menu item in North China and glutinous rice cake in South China.”

The celebration in Nelson will be held at the Victory Community Centre and will include a catered buffet, preceded by an hour of performances including singing, dancing and puppetry from 4.30pm.

“We wanted to celebrate the event in Nelson for our own people who would otherwise feel homesick, and as an opportunity to promote Chinese culture and let Nelson people see what it is all about,” Harriet said.

There are only 200 tickets to the event, with around 100 of these reserved for for NZ Chinese Association Nelson Branch members and invited guests, and 100 for the public. They are available for a suggested donation of $2 from the NMIT office, the Nelson Multi-Cultural Council at 2 Bridge Street and the Victory Community Centre. This year, for the first time, the Chinese New Year celebration is supported by Nelson City Council.

The Nelson Chinese New Year celebration is at the Victory Community Centre on Sunday February 15, 4.30pm-7.30pm. Tickets $2

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